A Plus Sized Heating Pad For Plus Sized Pain

Review by batraylover

June, 03 2007

Pros: Five year warranty; reliable heat distribution; auto shut off

Cons: One may not be enough for your household!

There is no week during the average month that I dread more than the week of my menstrual cycle. Its the one week of the month where I feel like a zombie and the last thing I want to do is move around. If you have been cursed with menstrual cramps then you know exactly the feeling that I am talking about. You wish someone would just put you out of your misery, or that you could find a way to get the laughing gas the dentist uses over the counter. Youve tried everything from hot baths, to Calcium tablets, to over the counter pain relievers. Youve yet to find anything that provides you with relief that lasts for more than just a moment or two. If this sounds like you, then you need to make the decision now before that time of the month rolls around again to purchase the SoftHeat King Size Heating Pad.

The SoftHeat brand may be one that you are not familiar with, however SoftHeat is just the series that this heating pad is a part of. The brand that makes this heating pad is Kaz, and Kaz is the company who makes the liquid that you pour into the vaporizing machines that makes you feel oh so good when you feel oh so miserable from a cold or the flu. I did not know that the SoftHeat series of products was made by Kaz until I purchased a SoftHeat back wrap (which I love) from Amazon. When it arrived, I found out that SoftHeat was in fact made by Kaz. So when I saw the SoftHeat brand on this heating pad, I already knew the brand represented quality, and I did not think twice about purchasing this heating pad. This heating pad gets so much use in our home during that time of the month, which coincidentally my mother and I both experience during the same week of the month, that we decided to purchase a second SoftHeat King Size Heating Pad so that there was no more arguing over who got to use the heating pad when.

There are a lot of heating pads on the market. Some of the heating pads on the market are standard sized models and if you are a plus sized individual, you will find that a standard sized heating pad just doesnt cover all the right areas during that time of the month. The SoftHeat King Size Heating Pad eliminates this problem. This heating pad is huge for a heating pad, and measures 24 long by 12 wide. This size is plenty large to have it covering your entire lower stomach or any other achy area of your body. Its even large enough that you could use it to cover your sore achy back if you are lying on your stomach. The heating pad itself is white in cover, and it has a white UL listed 9 foot cord attached to it. The 9 foot cord is very handy to have around, and it can easily reach the bed, even when its plugged in across the room. Attached to the cord, near the top of the cord at the end where the heating pad is you will find the remote control. This remote control is part of the cord, and it enables you to select whether you want the heating pad off, or on any of the four heat settings. This heating pad has low, medium, and high heat settings. I cannot say how well the low, and medium settings work on this heating pad because every time that I have ever used it, Ive always had it on its highest setting. On its highest setting this heating pad delivers strong, soothing, but not scolding heat that you can feel running through your entire body, even when you have the heating pad in one specific area.

The heating pad itself is covered in a plastic like cover. If that was all there was to the heating pad, it would be very uncomfortable to have the heating pad touching your skin directly. However, the folks who designed the SoftHeat King Size Heating Pad knew that the plastic heating pad was not going to be comfortable for the touch, and so they came up with a snap on cover that is absolutely soft and cozy. The cover for the heating pad slides on and off the heating pad easily. Once on, the cover stays in place securely on the heating pad thanks to a little plastic white snap. Just snap the two sides of the snap together and the cover wont slip or slide off the heating pad. The cover is made of a soft to the touch, fuzzy like material. I compare the cover to your favorite fleece sweatshirt, and the softness that you would imagine from that type of garment. Its absolutely soft to the touch. I have sensitive skin, and wool, polyester, and other harsh to the touch fabrics really irritate my skin, and the cover not only doesnt irritate my skin but it feels soft and cozy like your favorite blanket. The cover is machine washable and dryable so that you can wash only the cover if it gets dirty without having to worry about washing the entire heating pad. If the heating pad ever does get dirty, you can just wipe it (when its turned off and cool) with a damp paper towel and allow it to air dry before using it again.

Remember the cool remote control that I told you about earlier? Well this remote control is a no brainer. You simply press the button, and the heating pad goes to work. There are up and down arrow buttons that allow you to adjust the heat setting higher or lower as well as turn the heating pad off. All the way down is off, the second mark is low, the third mark is medium, and the final mark is high. An indicator light will appear next to each of the marks when the heating pad is turned to that particular setting. The heating pad also will shut off by itself after 60 minutes of continuous use. For some people, the automatic shut off is a hassle; others think its a life saver. I dont have to worry if I fall asleep while using the heating pad, as I know it will shut off, and while its hot enough to heat my problem prone areas, its not hot enough to burn through my blankets or any other fabric that it comes in contact with. In fact, I actually prefer the feeling of the heating pad on top of me, and then a blanket on top of the heating pad. While its perfectly safe (in my opinion) to put a blanket, a lightweight pillow, or some other lightweight item on top of the heating pad, I would definitely not lay on top of the heating pad. Instead, make sure that the heating pad is always on top of you. While the heating pad is meant to be durable, the weight of a human body could definitely crush the heating pad elements. You also have the option of using moist heat with this heating pad. To take advantage of moist heat, you dampen the special cloth that comes with the heating pad, insert it on top of the heating pad, inside of the heating pad cover, and then use the heating pad as you normally would. I have never used the moist heat function of this heating pad, so I cant say how well it works/does not work.

When it comes to heating pads, safety is a big deal for me. This heating pad has a lot of the common sense warnings that most heating pads and electronics for that matter have. Those warnings remind you not to use this product on babies or people with blood circulation problems. As well as warn you about possible burns, not to crush the heating pad, and not to use it while sleeping. There are a host of other warnings that include not to fasten it with metal objects, to use it in water, or to use it with liniment products that produce heat (ouch). I briefly mentioned the auto shut off feature earlier, but I did not mention the fact that when the heating pad automatically shuts off, you are not left unable to heat it up again. If you want heat to continue for longer than an hour, slightly before the hour is up, just turn it off and then right back on again. This will cause it to keep on heating, and the hour starts over again, and you do not lose any heat in between. If you forget, and your hour does run out, just turn it back on again, and it will begin heating up again.

This heating pad is pretty near perfect as far as our families heating pad needs are concerned. Ive used the SoftHeat King Size Heating Pad on my chest, back, stomach, legs, and just about every other body part you can think of. We have owned many heating pads in the past, and if they last 3-4 years maximum we are lucky. Weve owned Homedics, Dunlop, and Sunbeam heating pads, and none of them even come close to the SoftHeat King Size Heating Pad. With a five year warranty, its large pad size, and its reliable heat distribution, this just may be the last heating pad that youll ever need to buy.